Date of Award

Summer 2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

First Advisor

Mitzi Desselles

Abstract

In the new global economy, organizations frequently have to adjust to meet challenging demands of customers, competitors, or regulatory agencies. These adjustments at the organizational level often cascade down to employees, and they may face changes in their job responsibilities and how work is performed. I-ADAPT theory suggests that individual adaptability (IA) is an individual difference variable that includes both personality and cognitive aspects and has both trait- and state-like properties. As a result, IA may be an acceptable alternative for traditional, stable selection tests for operating within unstable environments. The present paper examined the relationship of individual adaptability, cognitive ability, and personality (conscientiousness) to task performance, citizenship performance, and counterproductive work behaviors. The relationship between an individual's motivational state and IA was also examined. The study was conducted in the form of online surveys, with data being gathered from 313 employees across the United States. As hypothesized, IA was a significant predictor of all three types of performance, and IA was related to state of mind. IA was also a parsimonious predictor of citizenship performance, as stated in the hypotheses. Conscientiousness was found to be related to state of mind. IA was also hypothesized to demonstrate less differential prediction than cognitive ability, but this hypothesis was not supported. Limitations and future research directions are discussed, and practical uses for adaptability tests in the workplace are suggested.

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